Work on Leh Expressway to begin next month

Signal-free road to now be built from Ammar Chowk to New Kataria Lei Bridge

RAWALPINDI:

Work on the state-of-the-art Leh Expressway project, which has been pending for 16 years, will be started in April.

The length of the road has been reduced from 17 kilometres to 10 km, reducing the estimated cost of the project from Rs 80 billion to Rs50 billion.

It has also been decided to start work on sewage treatment plant at the same time. The Asian Development Bank will pay Rs30 billion for the sewage treatment plant.

The signal-free Leh Express will now be built from Ammar Chowk to New Kataria.

The Project Management Unit of the expressway will be set up next week. Under the project, rainwater will be allowed to pass through the drainage. Around 10-foot-wide pipes will be laid under the expressway road for the passage of sewage. The express project will be completed in two years

The Leh Express will be fenced on both sides to deny entry of people, vehicles and animals.

The Leh Expressway and flood channel project has been envisaged to avoid the catastrophe of Nullah Leh, as an alternative traffic route

Vehicles will enter and exit from Ammar Chowk, Dhok Chiragh Din, Rialto Chowk Murree Road, Gawalmandi, City President Road Lai Bridge, Dhok Najo, Dhok Dalal, Purudhai and other areas. The prime minister will lay the foundation stone of the project.

According to the new design, the Leh Expressway will be deepened further by 8 meters to 11.5 meters total while its minimum width will be 25 to 35 meters. The expressway will have 15 feet wide road on both sides from the Sawan River to Ammar Chowk with barriers to protect it from the intrusion of humans and animals.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 7^th, 2022.